Saturday, April 13, 2019

Olivia Valdes
is a college admissions consultant and the founder of Zen Admissions.

Updated January
14, 2019

We all know the
embarrassing feeling of discovering we've mispronounced a word for years. On
the other hand, some words are so commonly mispronounced
that the "correct" pronunciation sounds downright strange.

Don't feel bad
if you've been mispronouncing some of these tricky words. A living language
like English evolves and thrives precisely because it is spoken every day. Some
choose to adhere to rigid rules (known as linguistic prescription) of grammar and pronunciation and take
pleasure the precision of English grammar and vocabulary. Others prefer the descriptive linguistics approach,
which doesn't apply judgments like correct or incorrect, but instead looks at
how language is actually used.

In other words,
as long as people can understand you, you are successfully using language for
its primary purpose: communication.

01

of 40

Accede

How to say it: ak-SEEDMay be mispronounced: a-SEEDWhat it means: to consent, give approval; yield to another’s wishes

02

of 40

Alias

How to say it: AY-lee-issWhat it means: an assumed name taken on temporarily, sometimes by a
criminal or fugitive

03

of 40

Anathema

How to say it: uh-NATH-uh-muhWhat it means: someone or something that one strongly dislikes or
loathes

04

of 40

Anemone

How to say it: uh NEH muh neeWhat it means: a flower in the buttercup family; a sedentary marine
animal, as in sea anemone

05

of 40

Apocryphal

How to say it: uh-POK-ruh-fuhlWhat it means: of questionable authenticity, as in a story or statement

06

of 40

Camaraderie

How to say it: kah-muh-RAH-duh-reeMay be mispronounced: kahm-RAH-duh-reeWhat it means: easy familiarity and friendship, often built over
time

07

of 40

Colloquialism

How to say it: kuh-loh-kwee-uh-liz-uhmWhat it means: a word, phrase, or expression that is conversational
rather than formal

08

of 40

Debauch

How to say it: dih-BAWCHWhat it means: to lead away from virtue; to corrupt morally

09

of 40

Demagogue

How to say it: DEM-uh-gogWhat it means: a leader who appeals to popular passions and prejudices
to gain support

10

of 40

Emollient

How to say it: ih-MOL-yuhntWhat it means: making smoother or less harsh; a substance with a
soothing effect on the skin

11

of 40

Epitome

How to say it: ih-PIT-uh-meeMay be mispronounced: eh-pi-TOMEWhat it means: a person or thing that characterizes a whole category to
which it belongs

12

of 40

Espouse

How to say it: ih-SPOWZMay be mispronounced: ex-POWZWhat it means: to follow or support an idea or theory as a cause

13

of 40

Espresso

How to say it: eh-SPRES-ohMay be mispronounced: ex-PRESS-ohWhat it means: a strong coffee of Italian origin, made by forcing hot
water through coffee beans

14

of 40

Fatuous

How to say it: FACH-oo-ussMay be mispronounced: FAT-choo-ussWhat it means: foolish, inane; devoid of intelligence

15

of 40

Forte

How to say it: FortMay be mispronounced: for-TAYWhat it means: a strong point or a strength

16

of 40

Grandiloquent

How to say it: gran-DILL-uh-kwuhntWhat it means: extravagant, lofty, or bombastic in style or manner,
especially language

17

of 40

Hegemony

How to say it: hih-JEH-muh-neeMay be mispronounced: hedge-ih-MOAN-ee or homo-JENNYWhat it means: authority, leadership, or influence by a dominant
social group

18

of 40

Inchoate

How to say it: in-KOH-itWhat it means: only partly in existence; partially formed, as in an idea

19

of 40

Knell

How to say it: nelMay be mispronounced: knel (with the k)What it means: the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce death or a
funeral

20

of 40

Maelstrom

How to say it: meyl-struhmWhat it means: a violent whirlpool

April is the official month for:

From thebalancecareers.com

The following
events, industries, causes and emotions (yes, emotions) are observed all month
long in April unless otherwise indicated. Even cannabis (fast becoming
legalized), Florida tomatoes, celery, and soft pretzels are honored,
beginning April 1 through April 30—every year.

African-American
Women's Fitness Month

Alcohol
Awareness Month

Amateur
Radio Month

American
Cancer Society Month

Asian/Pacific
American Heritage Month

Black
Women's History Month

Bowel
Cancer Awareness Month

Celebrate
Diversity Month

Community
Service Month

Confederate
History Month

Distracted
Driving Awareness Month

Financial
Literacy Month

Fresh
Florida Tomato Month

Irritable
Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month

Jewish-American
Heritage Month

Keep
America Beautiful Month

Lawn and
Garden Month

Mathematics
Awareness Month

Month of
the Military Child

National
Autism Awareness Month

National
Better Hearing and Speech Month

National
Canine Fitness Month

National
Cannabis Awareness Month

National
Car Care Awareness Month

National
Child Abuse Awareness Month

National
Couple Appreciation Month

National
Deaf History Month (March 13 to April 15)

National
Decorating Month

National
Donate Life Awareness Month

National
Fair Housing Month

National
Food Month

National
Fresh Celery Month

National
Garden Month

National
Humor Month

National
Internship Awareness Month

National
Inventor's Month

National
Jazz Appreciation Month

National
Landscape Architecture Month

National
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (last full week in April)

National
Mental Health Month

National
Month of Hope

National
Multiple Birth Awareness Month

National
Occupational Therapy Month

National
Older Americans Month

National
Parkinson's Awareness Month

National
Pecan Month

National
Poetry Month

National
Safe Digging Month

National
Siblings Day (April 10)

National
Soft Pretzel Month

National
Soy Foods Month

National
STDs Education and Awareness Month

National
Straw Hat Month

National
Volunteer Month

National
Welding Month

Occupational
Therapy Month

Pets are
Wonderful Month

Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals Month

Records
and Information Management Month

Scottish-American
Heritage Month

Sexual
Assault Awareness Month

Stress
Awareness Month

Thai
Heritage Month

Women's
Health Care Month

International and One-Day Observances

Because you may
be in the business of working with internationals, we can not forget the
participation of other countries. Here are a few international honorees, as
well as some causes that are observed globally:

April is
International Guitar Month, recognized in several countries.

Ontario,
Canada recognizes April as Sikh Heritage Month.

April is
National Pet Month in the United Kingdom, although the U.S. waits until
May to honor its non-human family members.

Sherlock
Holmes: Would you
stand up?Dr. John Watson: Whatever for?Sherlock Holmes: It is an old maxim of mine that when you
have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must
be the truth. Therefore, you are sitting on my pipe.
(John Neville and Donald Houston in A Study in Terror, 1965)

"Think
sideways!"
(Edward De Bono, The Use of Lateral Thinking, 1967)

"Start
with a phenomenon that nearly everyone both accepts and considers well
understood--'hot hands' in basketball. Now and then, someone just gets
hot, and can't be stopped. Basket after basket falls in--or out as with
'cold hands,' when a man can't buy a bucket for love or money (choose your
cliché). The reason for this
phenomenon is clear enough; it lies embodied in the maxim: 'When
you're hot, you're hot; and when you're not, you're not.' . . .

"Everybody knows about hot hands. The only problem is that no such
phenomenon exists."
(Stephen Jay Gould, "The Streak of Streaks,"
1988)

"Almost
every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it."
(George Santayna)

Maxims as
Tools of Argument in Classical Rhetoric
- "In the Rhetoric, Book II, Chapter 21, Aristotle treated maxims
as a prelude to his discussion of the enthymeme, because, as he observed,
maxims often constitute one of the premises of a syllogisticargument. For instance, in an argument
about financial matters, one can imagine a disputant saying, 'A fool and
his money are soon parted.' The full argument suggested by this proverb
would run something like this:

A fool and his money are soon parted.
John Smith is undeniably a fool when it comes to money matters.
John Smith is sure to lose out on his investment.

The value of maxims, according to Aristotle, is that they
invest a discourse with 'moral character,' with that
ethical appeal so important in persuading others. Because maxims touch
upon universal truths about life, they win ready assent from the audience."
(Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors, Classical Rhetoric for the Modern
Student. Oxford University Press, 1999)

- "The orator, says [Giambattista] Vico,
“speaks in maxims.” But he must produce these maxims offhandedly; as
practical matters always require immediate solutions, he does not have the time
of the dialectician. He must be able to quickly think in enthymemic terms."
(Catalina Gonzalez, "Vico's Institutiones Oratoriae." Rhetorical
Agendas, ed. by Patricia Bizzell. Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006)

"Too
many cooks spoil the broth"
- "'Too many cooks spoil the broth'--so goes a proverb that is
as familiar to most Americans as its meaning. The Iranians expressed the
same thought with different words: 'Two midwives will deliver a baby with
a crooked head.' So do the Italians: 'With so many roosters crowing, the
sun never comes up.' The Russians: 'With seven nurses, the child goes
blind.' And the Japanese: 'Too many boatmen run the boat up to the top of
the mountain.'"
("Language: The Wild Flower of Thought." Time, March 14,
1969)

- "Having passed through several different studios over its 15-year
development, sci-fi comedy Duke Nukem Forever sets a new precedent
for how too many cooks really can get busy with the spoilage."
(Stuart Richardson, "Duke Nukem Forever--Review." The
Guardian, June 17, 2011)

- "Does the adage 'too many cooks spoil the broth' apply to
fiction? Readers of the novel No Rest For The Dead will soon find
out. The 26 authors invited to take part in the series have combined sales
of tens of millions of books."
("No Rest For The Dead: New Crime Thriller Co-Written by 26
Authors." The Telegraph, July 5, 2011)

The
Lighter Side of MaximsDr. Frasier Crane: There's an old real estate maxim that
says the three most important things when looking for a property are
location, location, location.Woody Boyd: That's just one thing.Dr. Frasier Crane: That's the point, Woody.Woody Boyd: What, that real estate people are stupid?Dr. Frasier Crane: No, that location is the one most important
thing in real estate.Woody Boyd: Then why do they say that it's three things?Dr. Frasier Crane: Because real estate people are stupid.
(Kelsey Grammer and Woody Harrelson in "A Bar Is Born." Cheers,
1989)

Pronunciation: MAKS-im

April is the official month for:

From thebalancecareers.com

The following
events, industries, causes and emotions (yes, emotions) are observed all month
long in April unless otherwise indicated. Even cannabis (fast becoming
legalized), Florida tomatoes, celery, and soft pretzels are honored,
beginning April 1 through April 30—every year.

African-American
Women's Fitness Month

Alcohol
Awareness Month

Amateur
Radio Month

American
Cancer Society Month

Asian/Pacific
American Heritage Month

Black
Women's History Month

Bowel
Cancer Awareness Month

Celebrate
Diversity Month

Community
Service Month

Confederate
History Month

Distracted
Driving Awareness Month

Financial
Literacy Month

Fresh
Florida Tomato Month

Irritable
Bowel Syndrome Awareness Month

Jewish-American
Heritage Month

Keep
America Beautiful Month

Lawn and
Garden Month

Mathematics
Awareness Month

Month of
the Military Child

National
Autism Awareness Month

National
Better Hearing and Speech Month

National
Canine Fitness Month

National
Cannabis Awareness Month

National
Car Care Awareness Month

National
Child Abuse Awareness Month

National
Couple Appreciation Month

National
Deaf History Month (March 13 to April 15)

National
Decorating Month

National
Donate Life Awareness Month

National
Fair Housing Month

National
Food Month

National
Fresh Celery Month

National
Garden Month

National
Humor Month

National
Internship Awareness Month

National
Inventor's Month

National
Jazz Appreciation Month

National
Landscape Architecture Month

National
Medical Laboratory Professionals Week (last full week in April)

National
Mental Health Month

National
Month of Hope

National
Multiple Birth Awareness Month

National
Occupational Therapy Month

National
Older Americans Month

National
Parkinson's Awareness Month

National
Pecan Month

National
Poetry Month

National
Safe Digging Month

National
Siblings Day (April 10)

National
Soft Pretzel Month

National
Soy Foods Month

National
STDs Education and Awareness Month

National
Straw Hat Month

National
Volunteer Month

National
Welding Month

Occupational
Therapy Month

Pets are
Wonderful Month

Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals Month

Records
and Information Management Month

Scottish-American
Heritage Month

Sexual
Assault Awareness Month

Stress
Awareness Month

Thai
Heritage Month

Women's
Health Care Month

International and One-Day Observances

Because you may
be in the business of working with internationals, we can not forget the
participation of other countries. Here are a few international honorees, as
well as some causes that are observed globally:

April is
International Guitar Month, recognized in several countries.

Ontario,
Canada recognizes April as Sikh Heritage Month.

April is
National Pet Month in the United Kingdom, although the U.S. waits until
May to honor its non-human family members.